RIP – Bernie Wrightson

It was announced today that Bernie Wrightson has passed away after a long battle with brain cancer. Mr. Wrightson was 68.

Known best for his drawings and paintings in the horror genre, Mr. Wrightson was a humble and soft-spoken man who appreciated his fans. Wrightson was an artist’s artist. Not only was his work loved by fans, but professional artists were also in awe of his talent. Best known as the co-creator (with Len Wein) of Swamp Thing, Wrightson was also known for…

Being one of the young upstart talents of “The Studio” (along with Barry Smith, Michael Kaluta, and Jeff Jones)

His work with Stephen King – creating the poster for the movie Creepshow and illustrating King’s Cycle of the Werewolf novella, illustrations for The Stand (restored version), and art for the hardcover editions of From a Buick 8 and Dark Tower V.

His comics at Marvel (Punisher, Spider-Man), DC (Swamp Thing, Batman) and IDW (The Ghoul and Doc Macabre – both with co-creator Steve Niles)

His conceptual art for films such as The Faculty, Spiderman, and George Romero’s Land of the Dead, and The Mist.

So much more

I was fortunate enough to meet Berni Wrightson a couple of times at HeroesCon. He was kind and humble and appreciative of the praise fans (myself included) gave him. On the first occasion, when my wife learned that Mr. Wrightson was a guest at the con she came into the show to meet him. She wasn’t a real comics fan, but she did love Mr. Wrightson’s art, appreciated his talent and wanted to meet him. When she spoke to him, he seemed genuinely touched. As we were leaving his area other fans were coming over to share their appreciation. I’m glad Bernie Wrightson was aware of how much his art positively impacted so many people.

My thoughts and prayers go out to Berni Wrightson’s family, friends and fans.